Unite for 2023 FIBA World Cup

The eyes of the world will be on the Philippines tomorrow when the most prestigious basketball event unfolds in the 55,000 seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. A total of 34 participating teams from the same number of countries worldwide will strut their skills and techniques to win the championship.

For the first time, the Philippines is co-hosting the much awaited tournament with Japan and Indonesia, and though we are sharing the spotlight with our two neighbors, only the group stages will be spread out across all three Asian countries. The finals round, starting from the quarterfinals of the tournament all the way to the big championship game, will only take place in the Philippines.

The opening game between Gilas Pilipinas and Dominican Republic will be held at the Philippine Arena tomorrow night, while the other remaining group stages games will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. All other games starting from the quarterfinals up to the final, will be held at the SM Mall of Asia from Aug. 26 to Sept. 10.

“Everybody is ready to go. I’m hoping the best World Cup ever for FIBA in terms of not only showing the world that we can host a global event like this, but really the hospitality of the Filipino people, the smiles and generosity of our people. I’m sure they can feel that,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio in the recent special edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Meralco Multi-Purpose Hall in Pasig.

Even FIBA executive director David Crocker is confident that the country is capable of successfully hosting the 2023 FIBA World Cup, saying he was “impressed with the strong support” provided by the different sectors involved for the Philippine leg of the hosting.

“I think one of the real strong bases is the whole of government support, the heads of the department meeting regularly to help the SBP, and the organization committed to understand what are the pressure points and where the government (could) help and support, what will make things work,” Crocker said during his guest appearance at former PBA commissioner Noli Eala’s sports online show Power and Play.

After more than four decades, this global hoops event, which we first hosted in 1978, then referred as the ‘FIBA World Championship’, lasted two weeks from Oct. 1 to 14. On top of this, the Philippines became the first-ever Asian country to host the FIBA World Cup.

The 1978 games took place in two venues in Metro Manila: Rizal Memorial Coliseum and Araneta Coliseum.

Throughout the FIBA World Cup’s history, the number of teams per year has fluctuated. In the first-ever world championship, only 10 teams competed at the event, and through the years, the number grew to the highest ever in 2019, with 32 teams.

This year’s hosting is history in the making and an opportunity for all Filipinos to band together make it a success.

There appears to be some confusion though as to what exactly is the single-game attendance record in FIBA World Cup history. Known to be the standard is the mark of 32,616 set when Team USA beat Russia, 137-91, in the final of the 1994 Toronto edition.

Whether the FIBA World Cup attendance record is 32,616 or 34,000 or 35,000, the SBP intends to shatter the mark in the inaugural twin bill at the Philippine Arena on Aug. 25. The target is a crowd of 50,000 and it’s reachable considering the Philippine Arena record is 54,589 for Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and Bay Area last Jan. 15.

Erika Dy, deputy event director of the local organizing committee for the FIBA World Cup 2023, said the pathway is laid out for fans to set what could be a new attendance record in FIBA World Cup history. As such, SBP is calling on everyone to unite and support Gilas Pilipinas and be at the Philippine Arena.

Some 400 buses will be mobilized to transport fans from point to point out of 12 Metro Manila stations, free of charge, according to Dy. The stations will be widely publicized to inform commuters where to pick up their rides. For those going in their own vehicles, there will be free parking around the venue to take away the delay of paying for tickets.

It has been 45 years since the Philippines last hosted the biggest basketball tournament in the world, and much has changed since 1978. But one thing is for sure: the Gilas Pilipinas national team will definitely fight hard to make their countrymen proud, playing on their home courts.

The final 12-man roster of Gilas was announced yesterday. Those included in the final line-up are Fil-am Jordan Clarkson, our very own 7.3’ Kai Sotto, Junmar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Jamie Malonzo, Kiefer Ravena, Roger Pogoy, CJ Perez and Rhenz Abando.

I agree with PBA Hall of Famers Ramon Fernandez and Francis Arnaiz, of the famed Toyota team, that this is the chance for all of us to be united. It’s our chance to get together and deliver homecourt advantage. Pinoy basketball fans will give our team a an adrenaline boost.

In an opinion piece by fellow Philippine STAR columnist Quinito Henson, Arnaiz emphasized that playing in the FIBA World Cup is not about winning or losing. “Wala ng kulay-kulay, wala ng dilaw o pula. There’s so much divisiveness in our society. But now, we can all be red, white and blue or whatever color. Magkaisa tayong lahat for Gilas,” Arnaiz said. “Just to play in the World Cup means we’ve already won. Give it your all and enjoy the moment. No pressure. Don’t think about how tough your opponents are. Let’s do what we’re supposed to do on the court and play our game.”

I concur with SBP’s battlecry: Lalaban tayo sa pinakamalaking liga sa mundo. Dapat magsama-sama tayong lalaban. Labindalawa ang lalaro, isang daang milyon ang lalaban.